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Productivity of Cassava, Sorghum and Groundnut Intercrop Using Poultry Manure with Chemical Fertilizer Replacement Combinations
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of NPK 15:15:15 fertilizer replacement combinations with poultry manure on cassava/groundnut/sorghum intercrop at the Imo State Polytechnic Umuagwuo Teaching and Research farm Owerri, South east Nigeria. The experiment was laid out using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. The treatment combinations are: NPK 15:15:15 at 0.4kg/ha plus poultry manure at 0 tons/ha, NPK 15:15:15 at 0.3 kg/ha plus 2.5 tons/ha poultry manure, NPK 15:15:15 at 0.2 kg./ha + 5 tons/ha poultry manure, NPK 15:15:15 at 0.1kg/ha +7.5 tons/ha poultry manure. NPK 15:15:15 at 0 kg/ha + 10 tons/ha poultry manure and the control. Crop growth and yield data were measured and analyzed statistically using analysis of variance. Results indicated that the NPK 15:15:15 at 0kg/ ha + 10 tons/ha poultry manure gave the highest cassava yield of 13.38 tons/ha, sorghum 0.113 tons/ha and groundnut 0.073 tons/ha respectively. Also the highest biomass yield of groundnut of (47.9 kg/ha) was achieved in NPK 0.3 + poultry manure at 2.5 tons/ha while sorghum (297 kg/ha) was obtained in the NPK 0 + 10 tons/ha poultry manure. Soil textural class changed from sandy clay class to loamy sand at post-harvest soil analysis.
Key-words: NPK 15:15:15M poultry manure replacement, cassava, sorghum and groundnut.